Gentlemen, start your engines!

[Alex]

Hm, the new rules did not produce the desired effect in this first race, probably because Albert Park's asphalt is not that abrasive and the track temperature never exceeded 25º C... But I suppose that we'll see different things in Malaysia, especially because those who finished the race will have to use the same engine - in a hotter environment...

Good race from Fisico, he was consistent and quick all the time. Barrichello was not bad at all, considering he was racing with an old Ferrari. Excellent Red Bull race (especially Coulthard).

I was disappointed with both McLarens, they were not fast enough and the car does not seem totally reliable.

BAR was the biggest disappointment to me. Sato finished one lap behind the leaders!

All in all, I think we'll have an interesting race in Malaysia, because of the environmental conditions and also because some drivers will race with the same engine... I hope the new rules can really produce the desired effects (more passing in the final stages of the race) this time.

[Zoid]

BAR did far worse than I expected, I think it will take 2-3 races before they get their stuff going. Bummer

McLaren was also a disapointment. They are supposed to have the best car on the grid alongside Ferrari. But maybe this is Renaults year? It´s far too soon to tell, but it would be sweet

Sauber, and specially Villeneuve, did what was expected, ie fail miserably...

[Lawrence of Arabia]

I was disappointed with both McLarens, they were not fast enough and the car does not seem totally reliable.

you knew this would happen. ever since theyve moved to that new building, theyve done poorly.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

has rally racing started yet?

[Zoid]

Intense critique regarding the new rules. I can´t say that I disagree...

How good is F1 circa 2005?

The criticism around the world of the latest F1 regulations has been growing quietly in recent days. Several of the Formula 1 drivers expressed their opinions in Australia with David Coulthard being particularly dismissive. He is not alone in his opinion. The Australasian Motorsport News magazine in Australia has come out strongly against the rules. In an open letter addressed to Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone the magazine said "Shame you couldn't get down here to experience the result of your latest handiwork" and went on to call the new qualifying "appalling" and "a complete farce".

The magazine asked: "Is that what it's come to - a pathetic, artificial, manipulated earner? Whatever it is, it's not Formula 1 as it should be." and went on to question "what kind of motorsport encourages a team to pull its cars in with a lap to go? In what other sport is non-performance rewarded - in this case with a fresh engine for the next race? And you made all these changes for 2005 under the guise of safety. Safety? Rubbish. The record suggests that F1 is safer now than it's ever been - safer than many, many other motor sports."

The conclusion was equally inflammatory: "You're at the top; it's your responsibility, your duty to fix it. If you can't then maybe it is time for some new blood, with some fresh ideas."

Back in Europe, there has also been some serious criticism in The Guardian.

"Aspects of the 2005 regulations threaten to confuse the audience at a time when Formula 1 should be bending all its efforts towards the reintroduction of sheer excitement. Once again this season, the word 'strategy' is likely to wear out its welcome as the teams try to make the most of the rule that, in the name of saving money, requires them to make each engine last two race weekends. On Sunday, with a dozen laps still to go, we had the ludicrous sight of the world champion driving straight into the Ferrari garage after a mild collision with another car. It was obvious that Schumacher could have opted to continue to the chequered flag. But he and his team knew that, having started at the back of the grid and made only limited progress, he was unlikely to make it to a points-scoring position. Hence the decision to bring him in and retire the car, in the knowledge that retirement would allow them, under the new regulations, to install a new engine for the next race in Sepang on Sunday week.

"Grand Prix racing has never been about equality of opportunity, but it is already too complex for its own good. As usual, the new regulations will confuse fans while inviting the competitors to exploit loopholes in a way that can only invite further disrepute."

"The next time Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone frame a new set of rules, perhaps they should first try them out on an intelligent 10-year-old. Then we might get some sense."

[Whaleboy]

If the new rules can cause a return to the good old days of '92 - '97 (the six years when I was a massive fan) then I'm all for them.

It was a great race, Alonso was amazing, the Red Bull team impressed me, Fisichella and Barrichello were spot on and Mclaren were a disappointment. The Renault team looked good, hoping to see a return to the days of Bennetton vs. Williams. And even then the Mclarens looked gay!

The Indian guy did pretty well considering he's a rookie and driving a lame car... he was the best finisher among the rookies . 2006 could well be his breakout year.

[Thorgal]

I am all against the new rules. I think that with these rules we will see a lot of conservatives boring races.

We saw it this last Sunday. Some battles that could have been interesting (for instance Alonso-Barrichelo) were avoided by the drivers to conservate his engines for he next grand-prix.

[Zoid]

It might be to early to tell, but so far the new rules seem to suck big time. You can´t control weather, and thus it´s unfair to base the whole race on one lap; which is what they essentially are doing with the new rules.

The new engine and tire rules makes kind of sense from a fairness perspective, ie to leave it up to the drivers to decide the race and not the equipment. But it´s a half-assed solution at best. And one that is more than likely to hamper the flow and speed of the race, since no one will be willing to risk standing there without replacement motors or tires. If they really wanted to make it fair, all teams should drive the same cars with the same tire brand. But then, of course, it wouldn´t be F1 anymore...

[Thorgal]

Well, everybody driving the same car woluld be fairer, but lesser categories (Formula Nissan, Formula Renault...) are that way and it is much more boring to say the truth.

[VetLegion]

But CART is fun.

[Zoid]

Isn´t that the one where they just drive a gazillion laps on a oval track?

[Alex]

Originally posted by Kamrat X
Isn´t that the one where they just drive a gazillion laps on a oval track?

Precisely.

[BlackCat]

Does anybody know what the weather forecasts are for Malaysia ? Hope they are better than the Australian race.

[Zoid]

Hot and humid, no rain predicted. The track temperature during the pre-qualifiyng was 53 degrees celsius.

Renault and Toyota did really good on the pre-qualifying. Alonso clinching the lead with Trulli in second. Fisichella third and Raikkonnen fourth. It was another dissapointing qualifiying lap for both Ferrari an BAR, Schumacher ending up in 12th place and Barichello in 14th. Button did a somewhat better lap and took 9th place, while Anthony Davidson (filling in for the fever stricken Sato) only managed 15th place.

All in all it looks like we´re in for a really interesting qualifiying lap and race.

[Zoid]

In related news Sauber is thinking about dropping Villeneuve and replacing him with either Alexander Wurz or possibly Anthony Davidson. At least that´s what the gossip says Makes you wonder what the hell Peter Sauber was thinking when he hired the tired has-been Villeneuve. PS is not stupid, it´s painfully obvious that Villeneuve is long past his glory days. I mean,what did he expect? Villeneuve only scored 22 points in his last three seasons combined fer chrissake!

And Schumi actually apologized to Heidfeld for running him of the track at Melbourne, but not until all the other drivers voted at the driver meeting that it actually was his fault... Damn, that cocky german needs to be taken down a notch or three.

[Sirotnikov]

I've stopped watching around when Montoya was considered a new purchase and was exciting (yet disappointing).

Used to cheer for "crybaby" Mika Hakkinen, but now that he's gone, and since I dislike Ferrari, I find it somewhat boring. I also haven't time to watch...

[Thorgal]

Malaysia GP comments:

Alonso Superior in both qualifing, smashing in race. Nobody was even near. Renault the best again.

Trulli Impressive as Toyota. And he was able to run fast all the race!!!

Heidfel: Good job. Williams seems OK

Ralf: Some more point for Toyota

Montoya: Acceptable, his teamate was quickest. McClaren must work harder.

Raikkonen: Was doing well until his tyre blew out. Can somebody has so bad luck or is this guy doing something bad?

This time M. Schumacher at least got a couple of points. Barrichelo out. Ferraris mediocre once again.

Fisichella. Very slow compared with his teammate, out in an incident with webber. Clearly Fisichela´s fault IMO.

BAR made KABOOOOM!!!

[Alex]

Yes, Alonso did an impressive job both in qualifying and in race. Well deserved victory.

I don't think that Fisichella was that bad. He clearly had tyre problems and when he crashed into Webber I think that he was just following his instinct as a competitive pilot: he thought that he could regain his position from Webber, but his tyres were clearly in bad shape. A racing incident by all means.

Ferrari will have to work hard. Schumi and Barrichello could not do anything better than what they did.

I'm still disappointed with McLaren. Montoya's 4th place just fell on his lap when others had trouble, he did not pass anyone on the track. Raikkonen was better, but he was unfortunate when he lost one of his rear tyres.

Good work from Toyota and Red Bull, and this is certainly a surprise to me...

All in all, a very interesting championship fight: Alonso has 16 points, Fisico has 10, and Trulli, Barrichello, Montoya and Coulthard are all fighting for the third place with 8 points each.

[Thorgal]

Yes, I think this year it is going to be a funny season.

About Fisi i think he is a great driver, better that trulli (in race at least) and well capable of challenging Alonso, but he hardly could have done a worse race today. And if the car was so bad how could he do the third better time in quali, with same tyres and setup? About the incident i think Webber give him a lot of space to pass but Fisichella was going too fast in that curve an crashed with Webber. Pedro de la Rosa, third McClaren driver and comentarist in spanish TV said it was Fisi fault without a doubt.


Resuming, for me it was a slightly boring race excpeting the fight among both Williams and Fisico.

[Zoid]

In parts this was a great race. The first stint was pretty boring, but in the second one things really heated up. There was some really good fights. The incident regarding Webber and Fisichella was a genuine racing incident. Both were a bit too eager and it resulted in a collision.

Alonso however made an amazing race, leading from start to finish in an almost Schumi-like fashion. Viva España, Vive la France

BAR made an abyssmal performance Honda has better get their act together or BAR will fail miserably this season.

Ferrari was also remarkably bad, it seems Bridgestone is the inferior tyre when it comes to racing in tropical conditions. If so there won´t be much to hope for Ferrari in Bahrain in two weeks either.

Red Bull continues to deliver world class racing, amazing for such a new team. Third in the standings, 1 point ahead of Ferrari!

Toyota is also heading for their best season to date. Let´s hope they can keep it up. Ralf and Jarno is really showing their true qualities this season

McLaren also had a really dissapointing race. Raikkonnen continues to be dogged by misfortune. The race gods clearly has taken a disliking to the finn Montoyas preformance was also lackluster at best.

Oh, I can hardly wait to the Bahrain race

[Thorgal]

In parts this was a great race. The first stint was pretty boring, but in the second one things really heated up. There was some really good fights. The incident regarding Webber and Fisichella was a genuine racing incident. Both were a bit too eager and it resulted in a collision.

Yep, I think it was a racing incident too and there is nobody to be punished of course. It is only that In the heat of battle Fisichella lost completely the braking point. This is the sort of things that happens when racers are racing.

[Alex]

Bahrain = hot weather

Bridgestone = disaster in hot weather.

Ferrari's new car = ?

Let's see what happens in Bahrain. The first free practice sessions start tomorrow...

Montoya is out - fractured his left shoulderblade... playing tennis! (Now this seems to be a rather nebulous explanation). Anyway, Pedro de La Rosa runs in his place. Poor McLaren. All those money invested in the colombian and now...

I think that Renault will dominate the weekend once again. I don't really think that Ferrari can be competitive enough with its new car - it needs some more mileage.

[Zoid]

I think this will be another disappointment for Ferrari. The F2005 has been rushed (originally meant to premiere at Spains GP) and the tyres are perform badly in the heat so far. I sense another Renault victory

Red Bull has also been very fast so far. I think there´s some points waiting for them at Bahrain

Too bad for McLaren though, the bad luck streak continues...

[Zoid]

Damn, 62715 registred members but only 3 real F1 fans?

[Zopperoni]

I quit watching, F1 is farked up.

[Dinner]

F1 bores me. The rules change every year and it isn't just done to improve competition. More often then not hte rules changes are designed to give some politically connected team an advantage over everyone else. That's not good sportsmanship or good rule making so I won't support F1.

[VetLegion]

De La Rosa had a great performance yesterday, he almost singlehandedly saved the race from being truly boring.

Too bad MSC and Sato had to give up, I was looking forward to agressive driving from them.

Alonso

De la Rosa

Montoya ??

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by Kamrat X
Damn, 62715 registred members but only 3 real F1 fans?

We should make this a predictions thread, like they have for football. Perhaps that'll make it a little more interesting for everyone.

I'll go first :

Imola (24.04)

1. Alonso
2. Fisichella
3. Trulli

[Zoid]

I don´t know if you´re serious, but it´s a good idea nevertheless

I thought it was a great race, Alonso was on fire! Driving like a bat outta hell But (and I never thought I was going to say this...) it lost some of its excitement when Schumi was forced to withdraw. De la Rosa made a spectacular race, making it two spaniards scoring points. When was the last time that happened?

And finally a podium finish for Kimi Raikkonnen Maybe it´s starting to look up for McLaren? Toyota is also showing exceptionally good form

Extremely bad luck for Kristian Klien though; making the best qualifying lap in his career, and then not making it off the start grid I don´t know if bad luck is BARs problems. But they certainly have had an abysmal season so far...

Alonso and Renault will be hard to stop at Imola, so will Toyota and McLaren. And, of course, Ferrari if they get their **** together...

I think a podium of Alonso, Trulli and Raikkonnen/Schumi is what we will se at Imola.

[Thorgal]

The tandem Alonso-Renault was once again a step ahead all the weekend.

Trulli and Toyota are begining to impressionate me. This doesnt seem the same Trulli we know of other years.

Raikkonen was OK, but in despite that he has said the McLaren is among the fastests cars in the grid since the McLarens made fastest laps in Sepang and Bahrein it is simply he is not at he same pace of Alonso o even Trulli right now.

Ralf did a ggod work. It should be clear he is the 2nd driver in Toyota.

Thanks to De la Rosa. He was great. Some errors at start maybe due to two years without racing made him finish behind his teammate but he outperformed Raikkonen all the weekend.

M. Schumacher was great at the start and Q way ahead of Barrrichelo. F2005 seems fast but unreliable yet. I was a bit disapointed when the was out at lap 11 due to a "mechanical" failure (it was an Schumi error IMO, maybe the pushed too hard trying to reach the Renault) it would have been a funny duel.

At Imola:
1-Alonso or MS
2-MS or Alonso
3-Trulli, Raikkonen or De la Rosa